Whispers
by Immicolia
Summary: Their last moments together are spent huddled in the dark. Kiryu x Crow. Speculation on the flashback from the end of episode 34.


_A/N: Written for the Livejournal community 31 days. March 16th prompt - "I'll keep the lights out, I'll tell you fairytales." And somewhere around the Nth time I've gone and written something like this about that goddamn flashback.__

* * *

_Run, Kiryu tells him.

Run and just keep running. I'll catch up. I promise.

And Crow does just that. As much as he hates it, as much as he wants to stand there at Kiryu's side for the two of them to face this together he knows this is for the best. They both stand a better chance of getting away if they split up.

And if Kiryu gets caught, he'll get off easier than Crow ever would. Kiryu's not marked. Not yet.

So Crow runs through the rain and keeps running. Breathless and panicky until he reaches what had maybe at one time been an apartment building but was now nothing more than a vague shell of rubble. Not that the building itself is important, it's what's _under_ that building. In a half-collapsed basement and what used to be a utility room.

His and Kiryu's place to get away.

Crow is almost crying when he slams the door behind him. Almost crying and shaking and he all but collapses in a heap. Wrapping himself up in a pile of thin blankets and if he concentrates hard enough he can smell Kiryu instead of damp and mildew. Keeping his eyes squeezed shut against the smothering darkness, terrified to light the stub of a candle that he knows is sitting on a crate nearby because he knows Security is still out there. Probably still looking for him. Hell they could be tracking his marker to this very spot right fucking now and even the slightest bit of light will be a dead giveaway.

He huddles in the dark. Breathless and trembling, his eyes squeezed shut while he tries not to cry, not to think. Because if he thinks he'll think about Kiryu and what if he's been caught already? If he's been caught how long will it be before Crow sees him again and just where on the pale skin of Kiryu's face will they laser on a marker?

For a brief moment, Crow tries to picture it before shaking the thought away. He can't even begin to imagine what it would look like. Kiryu would never let himself get caught. Never. He'd die first....

And that thought leaves Crow trembling even more.

He can't say how long he sits there in the silent darkness, wrapped up tight in slightly damp and musty blankets, before there's the slightest creak of a door opening. The tiniest sound that freezes Crow's breath in his throat and leaves him staring into the inky dark. His entire body tense and primed to fight if he has to. If he's going down it won't be easy.

"Crow?"

He sucks in a quick breath at the sound of his name being whispered, still ready to fight. Not quite believing....

"Crow, are you there? It's me. Come on...."

And it's unmistakeably Kiryu's voice. Low and tense and for a moment Crow's throat is too tight to reply. Because Kiryu is here. He made it. He's okay.

"_Crow_?"

"O- over here."

There's a few shuffling steps in the dark that soon enough stop. "Where?"

"Here," Crow says again. Untangling himself from the blankets and fumbling for the crate that he knows is probably only a foot away. "Just a sec, I'll light a candle...."

"No!" The harsh snap of Kiryu's voice more than enough to freeze Crow in his movements and Crow stares into the black. Trying to, at the very least, make out Kiryu's outline. "No, Crow. Don't. Okay? Just... keep talking. I'll find you."

Crow nods, even though he's sure Kiryu can't actually see him. Whispering after a moment, "Okay. I'm over here. Where all the blankets are."

A few more shuffling footsteps and Crow can _feel_ Kiryu nearby. Reaching out and his fingers brush Kiryu's hand. Warm and wet and for a moment Crow thinks that it might be from the rain. Except....

Except then he should be cold, Crow is still shivering from the rain on his skin, and it's sort of sticky. And as Crow murmurs Kiryu's name he can smell it. Sharp and metallic, the scent almost coating the back of his throat.

It's blood. And it makes Crow's own blood run cold as his hand wraps tightly around Kiryu's, yanking him close. His throat tight as he whispers, "Kiryu, are you...."

"Shh. Don't worry."

"No! It's.... Are you bleeding?" Crow runs his fingers blindly over Kiryu's chest, feeling nothing but damp, sticky, fabric. Something which leaves him panicking even more. His breathing reduced to short, ragged gasps until Kiryu's hands wrap tightly around his writs. Stopping him short in his frantic explorations.

"Crow. I'm fine."

"But- but- the blood. I...."

"It's not mine."

Crow numbly shakes his head. Hearing what Kiryu is saying but not quite believing. Because if it's not Kiryu's blood, that means it's someone else's. That means Kiryu hurt someone. And that... Crow can't force his mind to wrap around that. There has to be some other reasonable explanation. Maybe he found someone hurt on his way here. Maybe.... Maybe....

"Kiryu...."

"It's going to be okay, Crow." Kiryu's voice is a low, soothing, murmur next to Crow's ear as he's pulled close, but all the same that voice is so detached that Crow can't help but keep shivering. Shaking his head in jerky movements.

"What happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Kiryu's lips brush against Crow's cheek and Crow can feel him smiling, just a little bit, which almost makes it worse somehow. "You're like a brother to me, Crow. Closer than a brother. I'll keep you safe. I'll keep all of you safe."

"But...."

"Shhh." Kiryu's lips move an inch, just enough so his mouth is covering Crow's, silencing the protest and the only noise Crow can make is a vague whimper in the back of his throat. He doesn't like this. He's worried and scared and Kiryu is acting strange and the smell of blood is so damn strong Crow thinks he might be sick and he can taste it on Kiryu's lips and....

Kiryu's hands are running through his hair and he finally moves away enough to start murmuring about how they're the Kings of Satellite and how nothing can stop them and maybe they should try moving in on the BADs next. His voice growing more and more animated after a while. Until it's back to the same, lightly teasing, Kiryu tone and Crow can start to forget about their panicked escape and how he's probably entirely smudged with blood now and he doesn't even know who's it is or what happened and, goddamnit, that's important. He _should_ be worried about this.

But he doesn't. Soon enough dozing off in Kiryu's arms.

And when Crow wakes a few hours later, to the darkness of the pre-dawn, he finds Kiryu already gone. Kiryu gone and his life forever changed.


End file.
